Cartoonists with their accompanying biting wit have always been feared by dictators. The Nazis hated British cartoonists such as David Low who ridiculed them and their anti-Semitism. Goebbels sponsored a travelling exhibition, Der Ewige Jude (The Eternal Jew) replete with cartoons.

These difficult times also brought many German Jews into the world of caricatures and cartoonists. Jews were disproportionately represented in the fraternity of cartoonists internationally.

In the Soviet Union where cartoons often assumed an anti-Semitic perspective, Jewish cartoonists often Russified their names to disguise their origins.

In the US, Superman, Batman, Captain America and many other superheroes were the work of Jewish illustrators. This has often been the response to persecution. Mad magazine in the 1950s introduced nonsense words based on Yiddish.

Following the founding of Israel in 1948, local cartoonists such as Ross and Navon charted the return of the Jews after 2000 years in exile. In more recent years, Israeli cartoonists have charted the Netanyahu years - most notably the ease with which he disposed of all challengers and the corrupt practices at the heart of government which he was believed to have initiated.